1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more particularly, to a dispenser for releasing detergent and/or rinse aid into a wash chamber of a drawer-type dishwasher.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In general, dishwashers having one or more pull-out drawers are known in the art. In some cases, the dishwasher will include an upper, pull-out drawer forming a washing chamber for washing smaller objects such as glassware, utensils, small plates and the like, and a lower conventional-type dishwasher. In other cases, the dishwasher will include upper and lower pull-out washing chamber defining drawers, or simply include a single pull-out type washing chamber. Regardless of the design, the dishwasher is typically provided with a dispenser for releasing detergent and/or rinse aid into the washing chamber during a washing operation.
In a conventional dishwasher, a dispenser for detergent and rinse aid will be typically located on a door assembly. At the start of a washing operation, the door assembly is shifted to an open, substantially horizontal position, the dispenser loaded and, after loading dishes, the door assembly is closed and a washing operation is initiated. During the washing operation, a mechanism opens the dispenser to allow detergent to fall into the dishwasher. However, unlike conventional dishwashers, drawer-type dishwashers do not include a door assembly that allows loading of detergent in a horizontal orientation and dispensing in a vertical orientation.
A detergent dispenser for a drawer-type dishwasher is typically mounted to or formed in a front wall of the drawer. One dispenser design includes a pull-out chamber that, once open, is loaded with detergent. With this design, after the dispenser is loaded, the chamber is pivoted back into a receptacle formed in the front wall of the drawer. At a predetermined point of the washing operation, a jet of water is directed into the dispenser from a nozzle formed in the receptacle. The detergent is then washed through an opening formed in a bottom of the receptacle and into the drawer. While effective, this design requires tubing for creating the jet of water to be formed into the drawer during manufacturing, thereby raising the overall cost and complexity of the appliance.
Other designs utilize simple tilt-out chambers that are filled with detergent and later washed out by jets of water or disposable containers that are supported on side walls of the drawers. For instance, a single or multi-use disposable container, coupled to an actuation mechanism, can be used to dispense a prescribed amount of detergent at a predetermined point in the washing operation. Once the container is depleted, a new container must be positioned in the drawer. While this method is also effective, consumers are faced with limited choices. Not all manufacturers of detergent have developed detergent containers of this type.
Regardless of the known prior art, there still exists a need for an effective dispenser for a drawer-type dishwasher. More specifically, there exists a need for a dispenser for releasing detergent and/or rinse aid wherein the dispenser is mounted to a wall of a drawer-type dishwasher wash chamber without requiring special plumbing to wash the detergent into the wash chamber.